9 Thursday news bites. (Sep 15).

1. Named ‘molester’ priest makes statement

The priest named by Senator Nick Xenophon in the Senate this week as allegedly molesting the current South Australian Anglican Archbishop John Hepsworth. Monsignor Ian Dempsey said: “I have made it clear in writing to the inquiry that I categorically deny the allegations, which I note are said to relate to events that occurred some 45 years ago and have nothing at all to do with under-age people.” Monsignor Dempsey has a right of reply in the Senate, if the committee approves it.

2. KFC chicken not so free to roam

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has launched legal action against some of Australian’s biggest poultry suppliers for misleading labelling which claims their chickens are ‘free to roam’. The ACCC says birds raised in ‘barns’ are not, in fact, free to roam. The fast food chain KFC has been forced to pull advertisements to the same effect after the decision. The decision related mostly to Steggles and Baiada Poultry, relying on the definition of ‘roam’ … what does ‘roam’ mean in your eyes?

3. US fashionistas say Duchess Kate isn’t a style icon

Well, now they’re just getting picky. Fashion honchos for Elle Magazine the Nordstrom Department store in the United States both said she was a trend follower, not setter. “If you take Kate out of the royal family, put her on a street in New York, you wouldn’t look at her twice,” fashion director for US department store Nordstrom, Gregg Andrews, said. “Is she a style icon of the likes of a Kate Moss? Absolutely not. Is she in the public eye? Are people going to become obsessed with everything she wears regardless of what it is? Yes,” said Elle fashion news director Anne Slowey. Really? It just sounds like sour grapes.

4. ‘Hyper real’ sculptures at new gallery

The work of Sam Jinks has been featured at the New Albion Gallery at 55 Oxford Street (Sydney). Jinks created super-realistic sculptures of people using silicone and human hair. The exhibition is on show until October 8 if you’re in town and want to check it out. Very cool.

5. Pokie fight escalates with $2.5 million campaign

As part of the deal for his vote to form Government, Independent MP Andrew Wilkie was promised national pokie reforms by the Gillard Government. These include having laws passed by 2012 that would force gamblers to nominate before they play how much they are willing to lose over a certain period of time. If there are no reforms, Wilkie has repeatedly said he will withdraw his support for the Government. ClubsNSW is today launching a $2.5 million campaign to fight the proposed changes saying it will hurt business.

6. Watching just 9mins of Spongebob Squarepants is bad for a child’s mind

And not because he lives in a pineapple under the sea. Four-year-olds who viewed just a 9-minute clip of the yellow sponge show performed worse on every single cognitive task the researchers gave them when compared to kids who watched a clip of a regular (in this case Public Broadcast Station) cartoon about a regular boy. Researchers reckoned the poor performance was down to fast editing: an average scene in Spongebob lasts just 11 seconds, compared to 34 seconds in other cartoons. It’s all about that precious attention span, you see.

7. Is this the worst book typo ever?

Right. We all make typos. Lord knows there’s probably several in this post. But author Susan Andersen might have taken the crown for worst ever. “I apologise to anyone who bought my on-sale ebook of Baby, I’m Yours and read on pg 293: ‘He stiffened for a moment but then she felt his muscles loosen as he shitted on the ground.” SHIFTED, she added. That was her apology to readers after she spotted the error. Poor thing!

8. Beluga Whale blows halo air bubbles

This is just adorable. The Beluga, in an aquarium in Japan, has learned to first make underwater currents with her mouth (which are invisible) before blowing air into the current through her blowhole. This then teases the bubbles out to form a halo. Cute.

9. Today is RUOK Day … so ask.

It’s as simple as asking ‘Are you OK’? to a friend, colleague or relative. The day aims to help destigmatise conversations about depression and suicide and, hopefully, lower rates of the latter. Organisers say Australians do not talk openly enough about mental illness. If you want to read someone who does, this speech by Heather Armstrong (of Dooce fame) will inspire.